​​​​WACO AREA – It’s hard to be too surprised about rising tax appraisals when the superlatives about Waco real estate keep piling up. Waco-area ZIP codes last year topped the list for most popular searches on Realtor.com, thanks in part to a certain television show.

In first quarter 2017, the City of Waco saw a record 151 housing permits issued.

And local real estate agents are seeing things they’ve never seen in Waco, such as bidding wars over coveted homes.

Property owners have until the end of this month to file a formal protest with the McLennan County Appraisal District, and the Appraisal Review Board will hold hearings Monday (May 22) through mid-July 2017.